Hidden symbol

by Elena Pavlova (Bulgaria)

I didn't expect to find Egypt

I didn’t expect to find answers on this island. It was a non-existent one, taken off the map for reasons I will soon find out. As I opened my eyes everything was hazy and slowly sounds started to make their way to my ears. ‘My head hurts so much’ I thought to myself as I tried to move my limbs around. My whole body felt heavy. The first thing that I saw was a giant glowing symbol. It was golden, somewhat transparent almost like I was projecting it from my mind. It had a triangular shape with three crossing spiral lines. Slowly I tried to get up. First of all where was I? How did I get here? ‘Think Kasy. What is the last thing you remember?’ Blurry flashbacks tried to surface as the symbol started to glow brighter. What was the connection? I took a look of my surroundings it was like a desert forest. There was a desert and a forest, birds singing, water falling down somewhere near. But it didn’t look right. As I extended my hand to touch the symbol I heard a voice. “Kasy, look to your left!” a very familiar voice echoed through the forest. A giant spider was coming my way. That was one of my biggest fears, my body froze in place. I was paralyzed and felt like my heart was about to explode. “No” a voice echoed again. A bright light appeared in front of me as a woman covered in gold materialized. She pointed her hand towards the symbol and brought it down to the ground. The spider crashed into it and split into little pixels which disappeared in the sand. I fell to the ground my legs felt numb. Suddenly I took a long breath of fresh air and my body started to gain it’s power back. The woman turned and I found myself unable to breath yet again. Her dress was long, covering her from head to toe. The sleeves around her shoulder were cut in a triangular shape and fell loosely around her thin arms. Her blond hair feel over her shoulders creating the illusion of a waterfall. Her crown was like a headband with three big spirals sticking upwards and finally her face. Her face was an exact copy of mine. Soft features, slightly puffy cheeks and honey brown eyes. “Kasy, welcome home.” The other me said with a smile and extended her hand. At this particular moment I had wished for nothing more but to remember what had happened that led me here. “Who are you?” my lips moved but my voice barely came out. She rolled her eyes and looked me dead in the eyes. “Oh, come on! You have watched enough movies to know by now that I am your doubleganger and you were brought in another world after a tragic accident happened to you.” She did have a point. That calmed me down somehow. I gathered the strength to get up and took her hand. “So my double, what have I been called here for?” I asked as I patted out the sand from my dress. She chuckled. “You really are me.” “No. I think it’s the other way around.” I crossed my arms and she burst out laughing. “Let’s skip this awkward part. If it makes you feel more comfortable I didn’t think a day like this would come.” I raised an eyebrow in question. “You see Kasy. Oh, by the way my name is Olivia, the creator of this island. It could be accessed by people who have died with unfinished business.” So my theory was correct. The ripped cocktail dress and wet hair prove my point. “Kasy, you are the evil that destroyed Earth. I brought you here to save what is left of it.” “What are you saying? I was a journalist. Living my best life how can I destroy a planet on which magic doesn’t even exist?” I almost screeched. “Because you aren’t from Earth. You were my creation and because I got bored of you I sent you there for my entertainment. ” With that she pointed her hand towards me and the symbol from before doubled and surrounded me. A bright light shot out from my hands and the symbols started to crack. The last thing I remember before I blacked out was my double on her knees nursing her hands and crying.